blankanvas

Already in its 7th edition, the annual photography festival organised by Phish Communications returns from 17 June to 19 July 2009 with a generous collection of seven exhibitions and 1 video projection, peppered with several public and fringe programmes over 5 venues: Asian Civilisations Museum; Institute of Contemporary Art, Lasalle College of the Arts; SMU Gallery; SG Private Banking Gallery, Alliance Francaise de Singapour and The Cathay Gallery.

With the theme, Engaging Asia, the Festival flaunts an impressive line-up including Steve McCurry, internationally renowned for his image of the
Afghan Girl; Marc Riboud, who was among the few European photographers to photograph Maoist China in 1957; and Francoise Huguier, World Press Photo Prize winner in 1993.

Recognising the nation’s growing interest in photography, the Festival also presents exhibitions by one of Singapore’s top woman photographers, Deanna Ng, and through the annual exhibition platform, Out of Focus, three emerging Singaporean photographers: Dyn, Then Chih Wey and Jean Loo.

About the theme, Engaging Asia
The exhibitions presented during the Festival are based on the theme and will reflect how photographers have engaged with the concept of Asia not merely as a geographical entity but also in terms of the continent’s identity, culture, politics and social issues. Asia, in its sheer diversity, is a heterogeneous intersection of identities, cultures, politics, communities and societies. Photographers from east and west have often attempted to capture the many facets that make up Asia, often creating a rich discourse on the diversity of the continent. The 2009 edition of Month of Photography Asia is an attempt at portraying some of these discourses and hopes to use photography as a bridge between cultures.

Visit the website for more details.

This article was first published on Culturepush.